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House to pay up to $520 per hour to defend gay marriage ban
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| Contributor | The Sunset Provision |
| Last Edited | The Sunset Provision Apr 22, 2011 11:39am |
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| Category | News |
| Media | TV News - Columbia Broadcasting System CBS News |
| News Date | Friday, April 22, 2011 05:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | The Republican-led House has agreed to pay a law firm up to $520 per hour to defend the Defense of Marriage Act banning federal recognition of same sex marriage, according to a contract posted by Politico.
Some quick background: The Defense of Marriage Act, the 15-year-old federal law that defines marriage as being between one man and one woman, is currently facing a legal challenge in New York. Traditionally the federal government defends challenges to federal law, but not in this case - after defending it for two years, the Obama administration announced in February it would no longer defend the law because it believes it is unconstitutional.
That decision left House Republicans, who largely oppose same-sex marriage, without "any choice" but to step in and defend the law, in the words of House Speaker John Boehner. In a letter earlier this week, Boehner asked for Department of Justice funds to be diverted to the House to pay for the costs of the defense, though that is not likely to happen.
Asked last month if Department of Justice would save money by not defending DOMA, Attorney General Eric Holder told the House Appropriations committee, "I'm not sure we save any money, frankly."
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